Security and stability in the South Caucasian states of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were the main themes of the meeting of the SI Peace, Security and Disarmament Committee, SIPSAD, held on 10 May in Tbilisi and a number of representatives from the region gathered to highlight the situation. (Full list of participants) Organised in collaboration with our member party Citizen's Union of Georgia, CUG, and chaired by Committee Chair Günter Verheugen, Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD, this was the first meeting of the Socialist International to be held in the Caucasus. Zurab Zhvania, President of the Parliament of Georgia, welcomed delegates and conveyed greetings from Eduard Shevardnadze, Chairman of the CUG. Günter Verheugen emphasised the importance of this Committee's meeting in the region as a way of showing solidarity with and support for the peoples of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and expressing concern for a region of growing strategic importance which is at a crossroads politically, culturally, and economically. It was SIPSAD's role, he summised, to create a broader understanding of peace and security, away from diplomatic and military efforts to economic, social and democratic considerations.
In its resolution, presented to the Council in Oslo where it was adopted, the Committee acknowledged the successful implementation of political and economic reforms in Southern Caucasus and called on all parties to make every effort to achieve solutions to conflicts within and between individual states, including through procedures mediated with the UN and the OSCE. It also emphasised the need for peaceful cooperation within the region, especially in the fields of protection of human, civil and minority rights as well as economic development.
The next meeting of the Committee will focus on current disarmament issues and will be held in collaboration with the relevant bodies of the UN.
Chair of SIPSAD
Günter Verheugen
(Germany, SPD)
Secretary General of the Socialist International
Luis Ayala
ARMENIA
ARF Armenian Socialist Party
Vartan Hagopian
Kegham Manoukian
Arthur Khachatryan
AZERBAIJAN
Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, SDPA
Zardusht Alizade
Arzu Abdullayeva
FRANCE
Socialist Party, PS
Françoise Daucé
GEORGIA
Citizens' Union of Georgia, CUG
Zurab Zhvania
Michael Machavariani
Nino Burgjanadze
Giorgi Baramidze
Zurab Nogaideli
Kakha Cnitaia
Michael Saakashvili
Tamara Kiknadze
Tamara Ghughunishvili
Rostom Dolidze
Nani Chanishvili
GERMANY
Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD
Dietrich Sperling
Gisela Nauk
GREECE
Panhellenic Socialist Movement, PASOK
Constantine Stephanou
SWEDEN
Swedish Social Democratic Party, SAP
Gunnar Stenarv
Office of SI President
Axel Queval
SI Secretariat
Gabriela Shepherd
Guests:
European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity
Conny Fredriksson
Dasa Sasic Silovic
Sonia Lokar
BULGARIA
Euro Left Party
Ivan Todorov
GEORGIA
Georgian Labour Party, GLP
Zurab Zhvania
Vazha Khidasheli
Ada Marshania
GEORGIA
Socialist Party of Georgia, SPG
Vakhtang Rcheulishvili
Nana Devdariani
Teimuraz Gamtsemlidze
George Mchedlishvili
George Gurgenidze
GEORGIA
Social Democratic Party
Gemal Kakhniashvili
Badri Nachkebia
Zaza Dodashvili
Zaza Shonia
GEORGIA
Agrarian Party
Zaur Ghlonti
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Socialist Party of Russia
Yuri Deryabin
If you are looking for an earlier meeting, please consult the LIBRARY section.